The present invention relates to a flexible corrugated hose coupling for coupling a corrugated hose to a cylindrical neck or sleeve.
Flexible rubber or polymer corrugated hoses have been commonly used in connection with vehicles, engines or anywhere a swivel or bending is required in certain type of hoses. These hoses may be of rubber or rubberlike synthetic materials and they may have a reinforced coiled wire either formed in the hose or inside the hose. Because the corrugation has spiraling ridges and grooves thereon, most corrugated hoses have been formed to a specific length for a specific vehicle connection and have smooth cylindarical ends on each end thereof for sliding onto the neck of a radiator or engine inlet or outlet. The ends can then be clamped to the neck protruding from the radiator or from the engine. Corrugated flexible hoses have not been utilized more often, because they need had to be made a specific length, having a smooth cylindrical end in order to couple the hose to the engine, radiator or similar connection. This requires a wide variety of length and sizes to cover the many different types of connections. To avoid this problem smooth cylindrical hoses having reinforced rubber or polymer materials, are utilized but these generally cannot be bent to a great degree without collapsing the tubing. A similar problem has been encountered in connection with rigid corrugated pipe, which is commonly used in electrical wiring, but which can be more readily bent than a rigid pipe. The connection typically does not require a waterproof seal and can be slid into an electrical box and clamped with a screw for sliding electrical cable through. In contrast thin wall conduit must be bent with special tools such as hickeys.
Typical prior art connectors for swivel or corrugated hoses can be seen in the Draudt, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,998, for Swivel hose couplings in which the swivel hose is slid into a coupling member and captured on one side with threads or clips. In the Saka U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,850, for a Pipe joint, a corrugated pipe is threaded against the interior corrugation threads of a compression joint. In the U.S. patent to Menges, U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,891, a corrugated hose coupling is shown for locking onto the angular grooves of the pipe, while in the Borsh, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,443,031, a connector fitting for connecting corrugated conduit sections is illustrated. In the Pate, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,622, a flexible conduit pipe connector allows a swinging clamp to swing over a corrugated pipe section and to be clamped thereon, while in a second, Pate, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,425, a flexible conduit system has a clamp for clamping around pipe for electrical cables. In the Goransson U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,330, a typical rigid corrugated conduit for electrical conductors is shown with a compression holding end coupling. In the Campbell patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,187, a conduit seal is provided for clamping around a conduit pipe, while in the Wright U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,022, a tube connector threads between a smooth outer surface and a corrugated inner surface with a locking spring locking the conduit in place. In the Beckham, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,821,768, a clamping band clamps around the corrugation grooves of a corrugated pipe.
In contrast to these prior patent, the present invention is directed to a simple corrugated pipe coupling which can be rapidly threaded onto the end of a flexible resilient corrugated pipe and clamped onto a coupling neck for providing a water tight seal even under high pressure and heat conditions.